BREAKING: Chelsea’s Champions League round of 16 opponents has been announced
Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League after the draw was made this morning.
The Blues will be playing a very tricky opponent who knocked out Liverpool in last season’s competition. They have also started this campaign well domestically, having not lost a game before suffering defeat against arch-rivals Real Madrid at the weekend.
Considering Atletico were one of the toughest teams that Chelsea could have faced among the unseeded teams, manager Frank Lampard is unlikely to be happy with the draw. It will, though, be a test of how far the team has come, following last season’s disappointing loss to Bayern Munich at the same stage of the tournament.
Lampard’s side have improved massively in terms of their defence since being hammered 7-1 in aggregate by the Bundesliga champions back in August, and that newly found solidity at the back will be required against Atletico who don’t concede many goals.